PSG beat Barcelona 4–2 to end perfect start to season

Paris Saint-Germain ended Barcelona's perfect start to the season with a 4–2 Champions League victory at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, 20 October, as late goals from Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz finally separated the sides.

Barcelona had won their opening 11 matches across all competitions, scoring 50 goals, but twice recovering from a deficit was not enough to preserve that run. PSG maintained their own winning start to the league phase with a third successive victory.

Désiré Doué broke the deadlock in the 38th minute after PSG regained possession in Barcelona's half. Joan García's saves had kept the visitors level until then, and the goalkeeper would finish the match with ten stops.

Xavi Espart equalised ten minutes after the interval, meeting Fermín López's pass to make it 1–1. Lucas Hernández restored PSG's advantage in the 72nd minute with a header from a corner, only for Lamine Yamal to level again seven minutes later.

The decisive response came almost immediately. Vitinha controlled the ball on his chest and scored from outside the penalty area in the 81st minute. Ruiz then converted Achraf Hakimi's delivery five minutes later to give the holders a two-goal cushion.

The teams produced 40 attempts between them, with PSG taking 22 and Barcelona 18. The result extended the French club's unbeaten Champions League sequence to 13 matches, matching their longest run in the competition and its European Cup predecessor.

Victory carried an injury concern for PSG, with Ousmane Dembélé leaving early with a suspected hamstring problem and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also forced off. Barcelona lost Dani Olmo before half-time.

PSG finished the evening on nine points alongside Liverpool, who beat Villarreal 4–3 after trailing 2–0 at Anfield. Barcelona's first defeat of the campaign came ahead of Sunday's visit to Real Madrid.

Sources

• Champions League Matchday 3 round-up — UEFA (2026-10-20)
• PSG 4–2 Barcelona match report — Sky Sports (2026-10-20)
• PSG 4–2 Barcelona statistics — Opta Analyst (2026-10-20)